By Juan Manuel Correa | President
Our Progress using TECHNOLOGY FOR EDUCATION, to help children in this rural community during the pandemic.
The rural community of Don Diego is being negatively impacted by the pandemic in many areas, but there are worrying signs that younger children in terms of emotional and physical wellbeing, and the learning lost.
The impact of school closure is a challenge worldwide, however the use of modern technology, with classes via internet, and video communications is helping somehow parents and teacher to help the young students cope with this situation.
The negative impact of the pandemic is much bigger in this rural community due to the technology gap in the poor families.
In the community called Don Diego, where our Foundation is focused, has 99 children in preschool, 263 in Primary school ( grades 1 to 6) and 189 in Intermediate school
( grades 7 to 9).
A survey made in the field by our staff found that only 22% of homes have some kind of internet access, mostly by a simple cellphone; only 3% of home have a computer at home.
For most of them to follow the distance education provided by the Ministry of education is almost impossible.
A sad and worrying consequence is that 18% of primary school children , and 23 of secondary level, have dropped out from school. This may have grave consequences for the development of this community.
Our Foundation is implementing plans to alleviate this situation.
We have added last November, 25 new computers in the Education Center that we have built, in part with help from donations trough GLOBAL GIVING, and have now 22 desktops, in booths, protected with acrylic walls, and 20 lap tops for loans, for outside use, at the use in the terrace of the Education Center.
For the younger ones we have arranged zoom , in small groups, with a big monitor, with their teachers, who they cannot meet from they homes.
We know that having computers and internet is not enough; we are working with professionals, of the NGO called UNETE, to train local teachers in digital education skills. This week seven of our teacher started training to become Google Certified Educator Level 1.
Now we are looking for donations to pay for tutors, internet and other operating expenses. And also to buy 80 tablets to help most needed students.
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